The availability of oils that may be cured and used to develop biocompatible materials (e.g., for use as drug delivery vehicles, stand-alone films, or as coatings on medical devices) remains limited. Depending on the intended application of the cured oil composition (e.g., as a coating on a substrate such as a medical device) the physical properties of the oil used to prepare such cured oil composition may render it unsuitable for its intended application.
Cured oils that have been successfully developed have relied predominantly on fish oil triglyceride esters as the starting oil composition. In addition to fish oil, there are numerous other oils that may have potential applicability in the development of biocompatible products such as cured coatings and materials, however many of these oils may not be suitable for specific applications because of their inherent physical and chemical properties. For example, some oils may not effectively form solid gels, materials or coatings upon exposure to appropriate curing conditions. Similarly, some oils that are capable of forming solid coatings, materials or gels may not readily dissolve or hydrolyze upon exposure to appropriate conditions (e.g., in aqueous fluids), thereby making their use unsuitable for certain applications (e.g., as a vehicle or matrix with which to deliver a therapeutic agent to an intended site of action).
Novel methods and compositions for tailoring or otherwise altering the physical characteristics of cured oils are needed. Particularly needed are means of tailoring the properties of cured oils (e.g., viscosity and hydrophilicity) such that they may be rendered suitable for use, for example, as gels, materials and/or coatings useful for delivering one or more therapeutic agents. Also needed are methods and compositions useful for altering the polarity and/or hydrolysis rate of a cured oil coating, material or gel as a means to control the rate of release of a therapeutic agent to a target organ.